Santa's House

This year, Santa Claus had a new home in downtown Watseka thanks to a

joint effort between Watseka Community Renewal and the City of Watseka. The new, upgraded

Santa house replaced the aging structure

In early December, Watseka Community Renewal also received formal notification of its

approval by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on its application for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

“We wanted one of our first projects to be something that would help bring joy to the kids of the

Watseka area,” says Randy Muller, a founding member of Watseka Community Renewal.

“Replacing Santa’s house helps keep a tradition alive that many of us remember from when we

were young. Although a small first step, we want to help Watseka retain and renew its history for

the joy of future generations.”

The vision of Watseka Community Renewal is to “vitalize growth in the greater Watseka area.”

Its mission is to “support the preservation, protection and restoration of historic structures in the

greater Watseka area from the threat of neglect, obsolescence and the pressures of a modern

society.” To achieve this mission, Watseka Community Renewal “supports, encourages, informs and educates the public of the architectural significance, history and heritage of the greater

Watseka area.”

“We believe that by working together, we can help bring a new vision to downtown Watseka,”

says Mr. Muller. “By working with our fellow citizens, the City of Watseka, and local businesses,

we can come up with innovative solutions that bring renewal and vitality back to our downtown

area and that stimulate growth. We love Watseka and the rural life that it affords, and our

organization wants to help reverse trends of decline and decay that have been all too common

for our community over the past two decades.”

Now that Watseka Community Renewal has been approved for 501(c)(3) status, the

organization is

looking to move forward with fundraising.